Conversations with Friends: Tradition, Value & The Future of Art

Conversations with Friends returns with an intimate evening at The French Café, bringing together exceptional food and thoughtful discussion around the table.

Our second event explores Tradition, Value & The Future of Art — a conversation about how we understand, collect and preserve art in Aotearoa today, and what the future of cultural value might look like.

Joining us for the evening are two remarkable voices from very different sides of the art world.

Nikau Hindin (Ngāi Tūpoto, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) is an artist and cloth maker whose practice revives the ancestral Māori tradition of aute — a near-lost art form grounded in whakapapa, land and seasonal knowledge. Her work reconnects contemporary art with deeply embedded cultural practice.

John Gow, co-founder of Gow Langsford Gallery, has spent decades shaping the landscape of contemporary art in New Zealand. As a gallerist and advisor to collectors, he brings a unique perspective on how art is valued, supported and shared with the world.

Together we’ll explore questions around:

• Cultural value vs market value
• The responsibility of galleries representing Indigenous artists
• What happens when art education disappears from the classroom
• How technology and AI may reshape the future of art
• And what the next generation of artists and collectors might inherit

The conversation will unfold over a beautiful shared dining experience created by Chef Sid Sahrawat and The French Café team, with guests seated together at long tables designed to encourage connection.

As always with Conversations with Friends, the evening is intentionally relaxed. Guests will eat, drink and listen throughout the discussion before staying on to connect with others in the room.

The format for the evening

• Shared dining experience
• Panel discussion during dinner
• Long table seating to encourage conversation
• Opportunity to stay and connect afterwards

6.00 pm - Arrival & welcome drink

6.30 pm - Seated for dinner

Menu

First | Ruakaka kingfish, almond, coconut, kohlrabi, finger lime

Second | Confit duck leg, kumara puree, grilled cabbage, prunes

Third | Textures of mandarin, honeycomb, condensed milk tuile

Eat. Think. Gather.

T&C's

• Single GA ticket holders who wish to be seated with friends are welcome to email [email protected]. We’ll make every effort to accommodate your request.
• Dietary requirements need to be sent to us at least 7 days before the event.
• Any photographs taken at Conversation with Friends by our photographers , may be used to promote future events. Please tell our photographer if you don't wish to be photographed.

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